PRESS RELEASE: Guildford commuters hit with £149.57 hike in rail fares  

Guildford Liberal Democrats
Contact: Zöe Franklin
EMBARGO: Immediate

• Liberal Democrats call for fare freeze as cost of living crisis worsens
• The cost of an annual season ticket for Guildford commuters is forecasted to reach over £4000 for the first time
• London travelcards for tube and bus services set to be scrapped for Guildford passengers

The cost of an annual season ticket for Guildford commuters will rise by the most in a decade on 1st March despite the cost of living crisis worsening.

Annual season ticket prices between Guildford and London will rise by a staggering £149.57 to £4,085.57.

By 2026, the annual season ticket price for Guildford commuters is forecasted to be £4,509.14 if the Government does not freeze rail fares.

Additionally, daily travelcards for those travelling on national rail services to London are also set to be scrapped, meaning passengers will pay more for tube and bus services in the capital.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for rail fares to be frozen for five years and for pre-pandemic timetables to be restored.

Zöe Franklin, Liberal Democrat candidate for Guildford, said:

"It is wrong to hike rail fares in the middle of a cost of living crisis. This Conservative Government is, once again, showing just how completely out of touch it is with the daily struggles of ordinary people.

"Tax rises are coming, energy bills are skyrocketing and now rail fares are set to rise for people across Guildford.

"I am calling for a fair deal for local rail users with a fare freeze and the Government to cancel all tax hikes. The cost of living crisis is getting worse by the week but Boris Johnson is too busy trying to save his own job to worry about that.

"As well as the financial impact fare hikes have on rail users we must not forget that it will also have an environmental impact. We should be making green forms of transport cheaper in order to empower people to get out of their cars and choose public transport for leisure and commuting. Instead, the Conservative Government is doing the opposite and making rail travel more expensive than ever before. It's almost as if everything they say about wanting to combat climate change is utterly untrue."

ENDS